#sts-68

An aurora, with the Space Shuttle Endeavour's tail assembly in view, during STS-68.

Date: September 30-October 11, 1994

Date: September 30, 1994

"The Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off from Launch Pad 39A in a halo of light. Aboard for an on time launch at 7:16:00:068 a.m. (EDT) are a crew of six NASA astronauts and the Space Radar Laboratory-2 (SRL-2). Mission commander for the 65th Space Shuttle flight is Michael A. Baker; the pilot is Terrence W. Wilcutt; Thomas D. Jones is the payload commander, and the three mission specialists are Daniel W. Bursch, Steven L. Smith and Peter J. K. "Jeff" Wisoff. During the planned ten-day flight of mission STS-68 around-the-clock operation of the SRL-2 will once again yield a wealth of data about Earth's global environment and the changes - both human-induced and natural - which are affecting it. This is the second flight this year of the SRL, and the second launch try for mission STS-68."

"This STS-68 patch was designed by artist Sean Collins. Exploration of Earth from space is the focus of the design of the insignia, the second flight of the Space Radar Laboratory (SRL-2). SRL-2 was part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE) project. The world's land masses and oceans dominate the center field, with the Space Shuttle Endeavour circling the globe. The SRL-2 letters span the width and breadth of planet Earth, symbolizing worldwide coverage of the two prime experiments of STS-68: The Shuttle Imaging Radar-C and X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) instruments; and the Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites (MAPS) sensor. The red, blue, and black colors of the insignia represent the three operating wavelengths of SIR-C/X-SAR, and the gold band surrounding the globe symbolizes the atmospheric envelope examined by MAPS. The flags of international partners Germany and Italy are shown opposite Endeavour. The relationship of the Orbiter to Earth highlights the usefulness of human space flights in understanding Earth's environment, and the monitoring of its changing surface and atmosphere. In the words of the crew members, the soaring Orbiter also typifies the excellence of the NASA team in exploring our own world, using the tools which the Space Program developed to explore the other planets in the solar system."

NASA ID: STS068-S-037, STS068-S-034, MSFC-9403647

"This time exposure of the Southern Lights was photographed with a 35mm camera from 115 nautical miles above Earth by the crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour during the Space Radar Laboratory 2 (SRL-2) mission. Due to the long exposure time, stars in the background appear smeared or elongated."

Date: October 5, 1994

"Space Shuttle Endeavour receives a high-flying salute from its sister shuttle, Columbia, atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, shortly after Endeavor’s landing on October 11, 1994, at Edwards, California, to complete mission STS-68. Columbia was being ferried from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, to Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, where it will undergo six months of inspections, modifications, and systems upgrades. The STS-68 11-day mission was devoted to radar imaging of Earth's geological features with the Space Radar Laboratory. The orbiter is surrounded by equipment and personnel that make up the ground support convoy that services the space vehicles as soon as they land."

Date: October 11, 1994

"Contents of payload bay of the STS-68 Space Shuttle Endeavour

The rear windows of the Space Shuttle Endeavour reflect sunlight in this view of part of the cargo bay, 115 nautical miles above the Earth. The Space Radar Laboratory (SRL-2) Multipurpose Experiment Support Structure (MPESS) is seen at bottom frame. Also partially seen are other experiments including other components of the primary payload. They are the antenna for the Spaceborne Imaging Radar (SIR-C), the X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (X-SAR), the device for Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites (MAPS) and some Getaway Special (GAS) canisters."

Date: September 30-October 11, 1994

Faint views of the Earth limb beneath the Space Shuttle Endeavour's stabilizer, as observed during STS-68.

Date: October 5, 1994

"CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This orbiter tribute of space shuttle Endeavour, or OV-105, hangs in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It features Endeavour soaring into orbit above the sailing vessel HMS Endeavour for which it was named. The Cupola, delivered to the International Space Station by Endeavour on STS-130, frames various images that represent the processing and execution of the Space Shuttle Program. Clockwise from top, are the first-ever use of a drag chute during the STS-49 landing, rollout to a launch pad, a ferry flight return to Kennedy, rolling into an orbiter processing facility, docking to the International Space Station, and lifting operations before being mated to an external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The background image was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope and signifies the first shuttle servicing mission, which was performed by Endeavour's STS-61 crew. Crew-designed patches from Endeavour’s maiden voyage through its final mission are shown ascending toward the stars. Five orbiter tributes are on display in the firing room, representing Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Endeavour and Discovery."

Date: July 29, 2010